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- 4 cups water
- 2 cups lemongrass stalks rinse well
- 1/4 cup sugar optional
- milk cream, honey, ginger, and/or lime (optional)
Ingredients
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- Hit the stalks with the flat side of your knife blade to bruise them–this releases the fragrant oil inside.
- Carefully give the lemongrass stalks a rough chop and trim away the leaves. The pieces should be about 1⁄2-inch to 1-inch long. (If you're using home-grown lemongrass, you can use the leaves, but there’s no need to bruise them. Since lemongrass is often sold already cut if you buy it at a grocery store, the number of stalks you'll need will vary.)
- Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Once the water reaches a rapid, rolling boil, carefully drop in the chopped lemongrass.
- If you need to, give it a stir with a long-handled spoon to ensure the lemongrass is completely submerged, then let it steep in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer or colander into your cup, a teapot, pitcher (if serving iced), or other container.
- Once you’ve strained it, you can enjoy the tea as soon as it’s cool enough to drink.
- Add sugar or honey to taste.
Notes: Lemongrass can sometimes be found in the produce section of grocery stores or at farmer's markets.
Tip: If you want to make the tea in a teapot, boil the water, then pour the boiling water and the chopped lemongrass into the teapot. Cover the teapot with a towel or tea cozy and let the mixture steep for 5–10 minutes or until it becomes fragrant. You will still want to strain it before pouring.
Options:
• Slice off a piece of fresh ginger that’s about 1-inch long; Scrape off the peel, then drop it into the water while you’re boiling the lemongrass. This will give it a warm, spicy flavor.
• If you prefer iced tea, place your pitcher of lemongrass tea into the refrigerator for an hour or so. For best results, serve the chilled tea over ice.
• To make sweetened iced tea, stir in 1/4 cup sugar before you place the tea in the refrigerator.
• If you want to amp up the citrus taste, squeeze a wedge of lime over your tea.
• Add milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. This adds a creamy mouthfeel to your tea. The amount you use depends on how much you like, but it’s best to start with about 1 tablespoon.
Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from wikiHow (www.wikihow.com/Make-Lemongrass-Tea).